al.

"That is not the Doctor's saucer, Martha," she said. "Is it possible
that you have forgotten? He has _always_ had the odd yellow saucer ever
since he was a kitten."

"I'm sorry, Mam," said Martha, gently. "Jenny broke the yellow saucer
this morning, Mam, as she was washing it after the Doctor's breakfast.
I'm very sorry it should have happened, Mam."

"_Broke the yellow saucer!_" cried Miss Wealthy. Her voice was as soft
as ever, but Hildegarde and Rose both felt as if the Russians had
entered Constantinople. There was a moment of dreadful silence, and
then Miss Wealthy tried to smile, and began to help to the
almond-pudding. "Yes, I am sure you are sorry, Martha!" she
said;--"Hilda, my dear, a little pudding?--and probably Jenny is sorry
too. You like the sauce, dear, don't you? We think Martha's
almond-pudding one of her best. I should not have minded so much if it
had been any other, but this was an odd one, and seemed so appropriate,
on account of Hogarth's 'Industrious Apprentice' done in brown on the
inside. Is it quite sweet enough for you, my dear Rose?"

This speech was somewhat bewildering; but after a moment Rose succeeded
in separating the part that belonged to her, and said that the pudding
was most delicious.

"Jenny broke a cup last winter, did she not, Martha?" asked Miss
Wealthy.

"A very small cup, Mam," replied Martha, deprecatingly. "That's all she
has broken since she came. She's young, you know, Mam; and she says the
saucer just slipped out of her hand, and fell on the bricks."

Miss Wealthy shivered a little, as if she heard the crash of the broken
china. "I cannot remember that you have broken anything, Martha," she
said, "in thirty years; and you were young when you came to me. But we
will not say anything more, and I dare say Jenny will be more careful in
future. The pudding is very good, Martha; and that will do, thank you."
Martha withdrew, and Miss Wealthy turned to the girls with a sad little
smile. "Martha is very exact," she said. "A thing of this sort troubles
her extremely. Very methodical, my good Martha!"

"Hildegarde," said Rose, wishing to turn the subject and cheer the
spirits of their kind hostess, "what did you mean, just now, by telling
Dr. Johnson that you had read 'Pilgrim's Progress'? I am much puzzled!"

Hildegarde laughed. "Oh!" she said, "he understood, but I will explain
for your benefit. When I was a little girl I was not inclined to like
'Pilgrim's Progr